Effects of within-patch habitat structure and variation on fish assemblage characteristics in the Bernecei stream, Hungary

Abstract –  Over a 3-year period we examined variability in physical habitat structure and species richness, abundance and assemblage composition of fishes in 13 habitat patches in the Bernecei stream, Hungary. Principal component analysis of habitat structure data from patches elucidated a riffle-run-pool habitat gradient across patches. Temporal habitat variability increased significantly from riffle to pool patches. Fish assemblage characteristics displayed relatively continuous change over the habitat gradient and were relatively stable within patches. Assemblage structure properties (e.g., species richness) displayed different responses to the habitat gradient and to within-patch habitat variability. In general, pool patches had more diverse assemblages and greater within-patch assemblage variability than riffle patches. However, within-patch dynamics were largely determined by the population dynamics of a habitat generalist (i.e., minnow). Broad scale environmental variability (i.e., a catastrophic 100-year flood) also appeared to affect within-patch fish assemblage characteristics. Our results demonstrate that fish assemblage structure is influenced by physical variability (i.e., both floods and spatio-temporal habitat variability) within the Bernecei stream.     

Fish assemblage shifts and species declines in Alabama, USA streams

Abstract –  Recognition of faunal changes requires long-term monitoring, which is lacking for all but a very few streams. Fish surveys are often focused on single, often imperiled, species. While such studies meet the goals of monitoring single species, assemblage-based data are required for detection of assemblage change and declines in common species, and yet these studies are relatively rare. Assemblage-based data may be important in identifying potential ecosystem problems before the loss of ecosystem function that results from catastrophic biodiversity decline. In 2005–2006, we sampled fishes in three streams in the Chattahoochee River drainage, Alabama in order to assess fish assemblage persistence and individual species declines. To achieve these comparisons we used historic data from two time periods, 1970s and 1995. Although comparisons to historical collections were used conservatively, we found dramatic assemblage shifts over time, even using conservative metrics. Examination of individual species persistence over time in these watersheds uncovered species losses at both the site and stream scale. Metrics of similarity, persistence, and Spearman's rank correlation indicated low similarity of fish assemblages and high species turnover over time. Specifically, cyprinid species have been lost and have been replaced with more cosmopolitan species. Comparison of three time periods allowed the estimation of when assemblages changed through time. Changes in land use, increases in the human population and less overall water availability may be agents of habitat degradation partially responsible for fish faunal changes.     

Hierarchical faunal filters: an approach to assessing effects of habitat and nonnative species on native fishes

Abstract –  Understanding factors related to the occurrence of species across multiple spatial and temporal scales is critical to the conservation and management of native fishes, especially for those species at the edge of their natural distribution. We used the concept of hierarchical faunal filters to provide a framework for investigating the influence of habitat characteristics and nonnative piscivores on the occurrence of 10 native fishes in streams of the North Platte River watershed in Wyoming. Three faunal filters were developed for each species: (i) large-scale biogeographic, (ii) local abiotic, and (iii) biotic. The large-scale biogeographic filter, composed of elevation and stream-size thresholds, was used to determine the boundaries within which each species might be expected to occur. Then, a local abiotic filter (i.e., habitat associations), developed using binary logistic-regression analysis, estimated the probability of occurrence of each species from features such as maximum depth, substrate composition, submergent aquatic vegetation, woody debris, and channel morphology (e.g., amount of pool habitat). Lastly, a biotic faunal filter was developed using binary logistic regression to estimate the probability of occurrence of each species relative to the abundance of nonnative piscivores in a reach. Conceptualising fish assemblages within a framework of hierarchical faunal filters is simple and logical, helps direct conservation and management activities, and provides important information on the ecology of fishes in the western Great Plains of North America.     

Land cover,riparian zones and instream habitat influence stream fish assemblages in the eastern Amazon

The Amazon rainforest has experienced rapid land‐use changes over the last few decades, including extensive deforestation that can affect riparian habitats and streams. The aim of this study was to assess responses of stream fish assemblages to deforestation and land cover change in the eastern Amazon. We expected that percentage of forest in the catchment is correlated with local habitat complexity, which in turn determines fish assemblage composition and structure. We sampled 71 streams in areas with different land uses and tested for relationships between stream fish assemblages and local habitat and landscape variables while controlling for the effect of intersite distance. Fish assemblage composition and structure were correlated with forest coverage, but local habitat variables explained more of the variation in both assemblage composition and structure than landscape variables. Intersite distance contributed to variance explained by local habitat and landscape variables, and the percentage of variance explained by the unique contribution of local habitat was approximately equivalent to the shared variance explained by all three factors in the model. In these streams of the eastern Amazon, fish assemblages were most strongly influenced by features of instream and riparian habitats, yet indirect effects of deforestation on fish assemblage composition and structure were observed even though intact riparian zones were present at most sites. Long‐term monitoring of the hydrographic basin, instream habitat and aquatic fauna is needed to test for potential legacy effects and time lags, as well as assess species responses to continuing deforestation and land‐use changes in the Amazon.     

Differences in fish assemblage structures between fragmented and continuous seagrass beds in Trang,southern Thailand

Fish assemblage structures in fragmented and continuous seagrass habitats in Trang Province, Thailand, were examined in detail to elucidate the effects of habitat fragmentation. The assemblage structures clearly differed: fish species diversity was apparently higher in the fragmented seagrass beds, although total fish numbers did not differ between them. A total of 37 fish species were collected, including 24 and 34 species from the continuous and fragmented beds, respectively. Thirteen species were restricted to the fragmented beds, compared with three restricted to the continuous beds. In addition, eight species were more abundant in the fragmented beds and only two in the continuous beds. Such differences may have arisen, at least in part, from differences in microhabitat diversity and the relative amounts of microhabitats between the two habitat types, as well as specific microhabitat preferences of the resident fishes. Although fragmented beds supported greater fish species diversity at the present study sites, it is axiomatic that habitat fragmentation caused by anthropogenic disturbance is unacceptable, with seagrass-habitat conservation being essential for both the preservation of high overall biodiversity and the successful management of local fisheries.     

基于河流网络体尺度的皖河河源溪流鱼类群落的空间格局

2013年7-8月对大别山皖河河源1～3级溪流的鱼类进行了调查,着重从河流网络体空间尺度研究了鱼类多样性及群落结构的空间格局,探讨了局域栖息地条件和支流空间位置对鱼类群落的影响.1～3级溪流间,鱼类物种数随溪流级别增大显著增多,但个体数无显著变化(P＞0.05);长河、潜水和皖水3条支流间鱼类物种数和个体数均无显著差异(P＞0.05).鱼类物种数受局域栖息地条件(海拔)和支流空间位置(河流级别和下游量级)的联合影响,但鱼类个体数仅受局域栖息地条件(海拔)的影响.不同溪流级别和不同支流间的群落结构均无显著差异(P＞0.05).同物种数类似,鱼类群落结构也受局域过程(海拔)和空间过程(汇合量级和下游量级)的联合影响.本研究表明,总体上皖河河源溪流网络体中的鱼类群落是局域过程和空间过程联合作用的产物.因此,为合理保护和管理皖河河源的溪流鱼类物种,有必要兼顾局域栖息地条件与河流网络连通性的保护和恢复.     

Assemblage structure and habitat use of fishes in a Central European submontane stream: a patch-based approach

Abstract –  We examined macrohabitat patch level assemblage composition and habitat use patterns of fishes over four seasons in a second-order submontane stream (Danube drainage, Hungary). Rainfall data indicated that our study included both high- and low-water periods, and hence our results may be applicable to broader time scales. Principal component analysis of physical habitat data from 13 macrohabitat patches indicated that these patches represented a riffle-pool continuum. Correspondence analysis of fish assemblage structure data from these patches identified a continuum in assemblage composition that was positively correlated with the habitat continuum. The riffle fauna was dominated by stone loach ( Barbatula barbatula ), whereas chub ( Leuciscus cephalus ) were most abundant in pool patches. We detected little evidence of seasonality in either fish assemblage structure or habitat use. Fish density did not differ significantly among macrohabitat patches in two (summer and autumn 1999) of three seasonal samples, although riffle patches displayed significantly higher fish abundance in late spring 2000. This difference primarily was due to higher abundance of juvenile stone loach in riffles. Two species, stone loach and minnow ( Phoxinus phoxinus ), displayed generalized habitat use patterns, whereas chub and rare species (i.e., gudgeon, Gobio gobio ; dace, Leuciscus leuciscus ; Barbus petenyi ; and burbot, Lota lota ) were significantly over-represented in pool habitats. We hypothesized that pool specialists (i.e., chub and rare species) were responding primarily to the increased depth of these habitats. Nevertheless, our data did not demonstrate the presence of separate pool and riffle habitat guilds. In conclusion, we believe that our understanding of stream fish ecology will be greatly facilitated by use of a 'patch-based approach'.     

The effect of planting grass filter strips on fishes in agricultural headwater streams

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Seasonal variation in habitat use by marsh fishes

Abstract— We used I-m² throw traps to examine habitat use by smallsized fishes within a mosaic of wet prairies and sloughs in the headwaters of the St. Johns River, Florida between August 1992 and November 1995. Estimates of total fish density and biomass varied temporally, but did not differ significantly between habitats. Patterns of habitat use, however, differed among the five numerically dominant species. Bluefin killifish, mosquitofish, and golden topminnows were more abundant in sloughs than in wet prairies. In contrast, Everglades pygmy sunfish were more abundant in wet prairies than in sloughs. Finally, the abundance of least killifish did not differ between habitats. Fish densities were positively correlated with plant biomass (i. e., habitat complexity) and negatively correlated with water depth (i. e., hydrology). Species richness and composition were similar among habitats. However, consistent differences in the relative abundance of numerically dominant species between habitats indicated some degree of habitat-specific assemblage structure. Most species were concentrated into deeper sloughs during drying events. This assemblage of small-sized fishes appears to respond relatively rapidly to changes in habitat structure and hydrologic conditions. We therefore recommend that resource managers consider using fishes as indicator taxa to evaluate the efficacy of ongoing restoration and management efforts in wetland systems.     

High and dry in days gone by: Life-history theory predicts Appalachian mountain stream fish assemblage transformation during historical drought

Understanding the ecological dimensions of drought is critical for predicting how humans and nature will be affected by the expected increased prevalence of drought in the future. We tested life-history-based predictions for fish assemblage responses to drought using retrospective analysis of long-term (1986–2003) fish surveys from two streams in the Appalachian Mountains of North America. We hypothesised that (1) fish assemblage composition would correlate with wet and dry hydrologic conditions as assemblages fluctuated within a loose equilibrium and (2) life-history traits of fishes would correlate with dry versus wet periods such that opportunistic life-history strategists would dominate during drought. Results showed fish assemblage changes in Little River and Cataloochee Creek correlated with drought severity measured one year prior to fish surveys. Fish assemblages at all three sampling sites in Little River and two sites in Cataloochee Creek fluctuated within a loose equilibrium, while the remaining two sites in Cataloochee Creek indicated directional change. Life-history traits for fishes in Cataloochee Creek correlated with one-year time lag fluctuations in drought caused by opportunistic species being dominant during drought and periodic/equilibrium species dominant during wet periods. Time series plots of fish abundances aggregated by life-history strategy revealed dominance of opportunistic species emerged at the onset of a multi-year drought spanning 1998–2004, particularly for the two sites undergoing directional change. Our work provides empirical evidence for theoretical linkages between life history and environmental fluctuations and can ultimately be used to predict stream fish community response to future drought regimes.     

牛山湖小型鱼类群落结构特征及生物量估算

于2002年9月至2003年7月使用围网作为采样工具,对长江中游典型浅水草型湖泊牛山湖的小型鱼类进行了季度定量采样,研究其群落结构特征并估算优势种类在全湖的密度和生物量。依据水生植被状况将该湖划分成黄丝草聚草生境、黄丝草生境和裸地聚草生境,鱼类采样在这3种类型生境中进行。研究期间围网共捕获27种、12 636尾鱼,其中20种属于小型鱼类,体全长分布在19 mm和239 mm之间;以相对重要性指数计,鳑鳑高体(Rhodeus ocllatus)、红鳍原鲌(Cultrichthys erythropterus)、彩副(Paracheilognathus imberbis)、麦穗鱼(Pseudorasboraparva)、小黄黝鱼(Micropercops swinhonis)、似(Toxabramis swinhonis)、兴凯(Acheilognathus chankaensis)和子陵吻虾虎鱼(Rhinogobius giurinus)被视为优势小型鱼类,它们占围网渔获物总数量的91.1%。Zippin法估算结果显示,8种优势小型鱼类的密度和生物量具有明显的季节性波动,它们的年均总密度为3.992 ind/m2,年均总生物量为6.073 g/m2。作者认为合理放养食鱼性鱼类、优化鱼类群落结构是开发利用长江流域湖泊小型鱼类资源并提高渔业产值的有效途径。     

Evaluating effects of water withdrawals and impoundments on fish assemblages in southern New England streams,USA

Abstract Balancing aquatic conservation and water supply is becoming a major global issue for urban landscapes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ecological effects of stream‐flow alterations via water withdrawals and impoundments on fish assemblage structure. Electric fishing data were collected at 33 wadeable streams in Connecticut, located in the Southern New England region of USA. Fish sampling was conducted directly downstream of water withdrawals for municipal and agricultural water supply, and study sites differed in potential water withdrawal rates and the presence of impoundments. Regression analysis showed that water withdrawal rate was more important than other natural and anthropogenic factors (e.g. landcover and stream size) in explaining several fish assemblage metrics. Stream sites with high withdrawal rates were generally characterised by lower proportions of fluvial dependent fishes (fish which need flowing water to complete a portion of their life history) and benthic invertivores (fish which feed on bottom‐dwelling stream insects in riffle habitat), and had a greater percent composition of macrohabitat generalists, particularly members of the family Centrarchidae. Some assemblage metrics responded linearly with increasing magnitude of water withdrawals, but others were non‐linear. Results are consistent with ecological theory that alteration of the natural flow regime will impact stream biota.     

Influence of aquatic plant‐specific habitat on an assemblage of small neotropical floodplain fishes

Dibble ED, Pelicice FM. Influence of aquatic plant‐specific habitat on an assemblage of small neotropical floodplain fishes.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 381–389. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – This study investigated the effects of plant‐specific habitat on the distribution of young and small adult fishes in lagoons of the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil. We compared fish catch per unit effort (CPUE) and species richness and used an indirect gradient analysis to investigate fish‐plant relationships within three aquatic macrophytes beds (Cabomba furcata, Eichhornia azurea, Nymphaea amazonum), and explored microhabitat influence (indexed by eight variables related to physical structure and water quality) on the structure of fish assemblages. Rarefaction analysis was used to compare fish species richness among the vegetated habitats. We captured a total of 1599 fish constituting 23 species, 7 families and 3 orders. Fish CPUE and species richness increased relative to microhabitat structure innate to the macrophytes; higher CPUE and richness were observed in C. furcata beds, a submerged aquatic macrophyte with finely dissected leaves. On the contrary, N. amazonum, a species that provides low microhabitat complexity, harbored fewer individual fish and number of species. Reproduction dynamics, hydrology and the amount of available plant‐generated habitat structure (surface effect) contributed to the disproportionally high number of individuals captured during the dry season. Our data suggest that the microhabitat physical structure (e.g., edge distance, stem density and patch size) provided by macrophyte beds in the lagoons of the Upper Paraná River may play a more important role than physicochemistry (e.g., oxygen, temperature and pH) at mediating distribution patterns of small‐sized fishes.     

Discontinuity in fish assemblages across an elevation gradient in a southern Appalachian watershed, USA

Abstract –  We examine patterns in fish species assemblages in the Toxaway and Horsepasture rivers, two high elevation streams in North Carolina, USA. This region is noted for extreme topographical relief, high cumulative annual rainfall and many rare and endemic plants and animals. The study area encompasses a portion of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and the associated Brevard Fault Zone. We hypothesise that major waterfalls and cascade complexes have acted to limit invasion and colonisation by fishes from downstream. This hypothesis is supported by longitudinal fish assemblage patterns in our study streams. Fish species richness in Toxaway River increased from 4 to 23 between Lake Toxaway and Lake Jocassee, a distance of 10 river km. We found similar discontinuities in neighbouring Horsepasture River and Bearwallow Creek. We found no instances of species replacement along this elevation gradient, and the trend in increased diversity downstream showed discontinuities coincident with sharp elevation breaks. With regard to theories posited to explain community formation in headwater stream fish communities (especially in those characterised by high topographical relief), we suggest coloniser 'access' may be more important than other factors including competitive interactions.     

Fish assemblages of perennial floodplain ponds of the Sacramento River, California (USA), with implications for the conservation of native fishes

To assess the likelihood of enhancing native fish populations by means of floodplain restoration projects, habitat characteristics and fish assemblages of seven perennial floodplain ponds in Yolo Bypass, the primary floodplain of the Sacramento River, California (USA), were examined during summer 2001. Although all ponds were eutrophic, based upon high chlorophyll a or dissolved nutrient concentrations, relatively large shallow ponds generally exhibited higher specific conductivity and dissolved phosphorus concentrations than small deep ponds, which exhibited greater water transparency and total dissolved nitrogen concentrations. Using multiple gear types, 13 688 fishes comprising 23 species were collected. All ponds were dominated by alien fishes; only three native species contributing <1% of the total number of individuals and <3% of overall biomass were captured. Fish assemblage structure varied among ponds, notably between engineered vs. natural ponds, and was related to specific conductance, total dissolved solids and water transparency.     

Linking fish ecomorphotypes to food categories and local-scale habitat uses along a Brazilian coastal stream

Fish ecomorphological analyses often deal with several traits simultaneously, making it challenging to interpret general patterns, and have not addressed the longitudinal component of streams in morphology-habitat relationships. We identified ecomorphotypes of fishes and correlated their morphological variation with food, structural/hydrological variables, and abundances to detect their links with diet and local-scale habitat categories. Eighteen morphometric traits were obtained from specimens collected by electrofishing in a coastal Atlantic stream in Brazil. To test for morphology-habitat associations, headwaters, middle, and mouth reaches were divided into shorter sampling sites, with the middle reach being classified into riffle, run, and pool mesohabitats. Multivariate analyses highlighted the morphological variations and associated the form categories of 18 fish species with food and habitat categories. It resulted in four combined trophic and habitat ecomorphotypes: (1) benthic AB/lithophilic, composed of smaller to longer loricariids, detritivores, of fast-water, and pebbly habitats; (2) benthic C/lithophilic of very fast-waters, algal and detritus scrapers, with longer intestines than the other benthic species, wider suctorial mouths, inhabitants of headwaters, and riffles habitats; (3) nektobenthic/lithophilic with streamlined bodies, invertebrate feeders, and dwellers of faster-water, cobbly habitats; and (4) nektonic/limnophilic composed mainly by characins, which had strong correlations with terrestrial insect consumption, and lentic/pool, sandy habitats. The morphology–environment correlations linked these ecomorphotypes to the broad habitat gradient arrayed in longitudinal and local scales. These results permit inferring the larger form patterns expected for local fish assemblages and emphasise the fish trait categorisation as a possible surrogate to reveal broader ecomorphological associations.     

Biodiversity value of remnant pools in an intermittent stream during the great California drought

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Fish assemblage production estimates in Appalachian streams across a latitudinal and temperature gradient

Production of biomass is central to the ecology and sustainability of fish assemblages. The goal of this study was to empirically estimate and compare fish assemblage production, production‐to‐biomass (P/B) ratios and species composition for 25 second‐ to third‐order streams spanning the Appalachian Mountains (from Vermont to North Carolina) that vary in their temperature regimes. Fish assemblage production estimates ranged from 0.15 to 6.79 g m^?2 year^?1, and P/B ratios ranged from 0.20 to 1.07. There were no significant differences in mean assemblage production across northern cold‐water, southern cold‐water and southern cool‐water streams (p = .35). Two warm‐water streams, not included in these comparisons, had the highest mean production and biomass values. Mean assemblage P/B was significantly higher in northern cold‐water streams relative to southern cold‐water and cool‐water streams (p = .01). Species evenness in production declined with stream temperature and differed significantly across the lower latitude cold‐water, cool‐water and warm‐water streams and the higher latitude (i.e. more northern) cold‐water streams. Our fish assemblage production estimates and P/B ratios were both lower and higher compared to previously published estimates for similar stream habitats. This study provides empirical fish assemblage production estimates to inform future research on southern Appalachian streams and on the potential impacts of varying temperature regimes on cold‐water, cool‐water and warm‐water fish production in the coming decades as climate change continues to threaten fish assemblages.     

Persistence of native fishes in small streams of the urbanized San Francisco Estuary,California: acknowledging the role of urban streams in native fish conservation

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